If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Table idea

12-12-2011, 08:57 PM

I recently got a bunch of 3/4 bar stock, various widths. I was thinking of cutting them to 4 foot lengths and laying them out as a table top. I want to make them clamp down so they are adjustable for clamping and jigging. My only fear is that the hot rolled would not be level enough. I also plan to put a small section of solid plate. Any one have any thoughts on the idea??

Comment

I built my table top as an open grate of 1" sq tube (hot rolled)
The tubes are parallel, maybe 6" on center
So I can insert clamps between the tubes and clamp things to the top
It works great
You're just taking the idea and extending it
It should be fine
Go for it

Frank

Comment

I am thinking you can put some latteral support under the center of the bar stock if concerned about warping.

sorry to piggy back your thread, But I was wondering what would be the best grade steel for my new welding table? I have access to Carbon steel, 4140, and A514. I am going to make it 30x60 thinking 3/8".

Comment

If this is strictly a cutting bench it would make a difference. If this is any kind of workbench I want plate top. For general work like farmboy here might be looking at there is no need to get real fancy but I hate not being able to set something small on it, tools fall thru and cant use the bench space under it. For repair and general fab I rarely find something I cant do clamping a piece or 2 along the edges and precision in this whole scheme of things is not as big of deal as a guy might think it to be at the start. 2 tings are ideal, a bench with vise that can weld at and a table with reasonably flat top, about 3x6 is plenty, something a guy can walk around and reach across. Simple cutting grate with a catch bucket under it to do about 90% of it, if I had a special need would tailor, cutting big long sheets daily is different than the occasional deal but in the repair business I make a 100 little cuts for every major one.

Comment

Your 30X60 idea is fine for general work.
3/8 top is sufficient. Mine are pieces of junk that just got added on, they never were designed from the start but the location and layout is what makes them work really well. They are bolted down and I can walk around, they don't need to be moved which is not always possible for everyone. My setup allows to be real ergonomic, changes a pinch on how I would build a bench. I have 2 benches, one flat with the cut grate and the other with vise, I don't like vise on a post, no where to set tools and I don't care for it on my flat bench seems its in the way for flipping projects around and I ain't gonna pull it out and put it in a socket daily either. Vise could probably live on a bench along the wall in most shops but the flat is ideally an island.

Comment

My plan is to stagger a 4 inch with a 2 inch and to keep the surface closed unless I need to remove a small section to jig something up or clamp from. I agree with the comments about a flat surface to work on. My biggest concern with the idea is that the bar stock won't be uniform and will be hard to work on smaller stuff. That is why I want to put a section of plate on one end and probably a cutting grate on the other. Does anyone have a suggestion on a good clamping idea for the bar stock? I have a couple sticks of 5 x 5 x 1/2 inch angle iron for the frame. I was hoping to find something reasonable in price that could be spot welded to the bottom of the bar stock. Guess this is one where time vs money becomes the trade off. For the record... Drilling and tapping is low on my list.

Comment

There is something for everyone. I spose if I was straightening frames every day there would be a use for that but it would be in the way for me, not worth it even on the occasion I could use it.
I was in a place a while back (corporate deal) where someone got a big brainstorm to build this big bench (on overtime), the thing looks impressive but it isn't any thing special to work from and actually the things they did are liabilities. In a small room its too big, too big anyway, poorly designed edges, has a 2 inch or something top and angles used out to the edges so there is bevel to try to clamp to, its not really in a welding shop anyway, just one 10,000 # 20,000 dollar lump in the way, they are out of business now.
I went to a club project a while back when no one was there and moved some stuff, someone had dropped it off and there it stay in the way for the duration, neither torch or plasma would reach it without a move. and it sat in the middle of the traffic. Had to get a long cord to use a drill or grinder.

Comment

More than half of it has nothing to do with features. Like they say in real estate, location, not so much what it is as where. They do have a productive effect, can be counter productive also but some places that have been good have been nothing more than a plate on a couple horses.
I made some mistakes, I welded a 1/2 rebar from that channel you can see in the floor back to the wall and use it as a ground point for some of the machines, I should have used a 3/4 rod or maybe even better chunk of old building entrance wire, 3/0 copper,,, ha, its not a working issue though at my small currents and duty cycles. I electrically grounded it at that point also. I didn't put a conduit in out of fear which was a mistake. I tried about everything and finally bight the bullet and air chisel a groove for pipe. I did it from bench to bench also, put 1 circuit fed from gfci and used 2 wire feed via an iso g outlet. A grounded tool case or equipment ground cant carry welding current. Its grounded,,, just not with the circuit that feeds it and that is gfci.
I didn't plumb air, I got a whip behind me at the wall, reaches the bench. One other thing I did was almost eliminate the need to connect air hoses, I need to connect the tools to the hose but never disconnect hot hose to hose. I put in about 3 fixed in whips and 3 or 4 reels including an outdoor and no one has to take a hose anywhere, no plugging hoses in to hydrants.

Comment

In the bench wrenchess pic you can see I went back and added a little piece of pipe and another duplex, there is no 4 1/2 grinder there but that is an old picture when we were still using corded drills and had to fiddle with plug unplug, another ah ha moment where I had had it and fix the thing.
I got some things where they aint "right" but items like benches, hydrants, outlets, lights where the duty cycle is so hi its worth a stop and tailor sometimes. I plugged grinder and back in the day drills into the benches thousands of times.